Morning photo: Winter manifests …

Winter’s frozen fingers drape across the land

Ice at the edge of Dillon Reservoir near Frisco, Colorado.

FRISCO —Absent a big snowfall, winter’s onset is marked by the formation of ice in the nooks and crannies of locals streams and ponds. It’s a process that’s more subtle than just waking up one morning to several feet of new snow. The ice creeps from the edges of the water, curling and crinkling with the wind or currents, slowly but sure encroaching on the open water. It’s a fun process to watch, with visible day-to-day changes, and it’s especially apparent during the relatively dry months of late fall and early winter. The past few days, I sought out spots along the shore of Dillon Reservoir and a shady Snake River canyon to watch the transformation.

A hint or early morning sun gleams into the shadows of this forested reach of the Snake River, near Keystone, Colorado.The iPhone camera picked up some of the subtle light in the shadowy forest.Frost crystals grow along the banks of the Snake River.Snake River sunlight.Old post.